Gibby Bakes

The Bake-a-Long continues with Pastry Week!  See, I'm slowly catching up with my writing! Last week, the bakers were tasked with an individual picnic pies Signature challenge, a Dauphinoise Pithivier Technical challenge, and a sweet pie Showstopper consisting of three pies with at least two different fillings. With it being the run up to Halloween, I was desperate to give pumpkin pie a go, which meant I simply had to choose the Showstopper! I've already decided I want to give the Dauphinoise Pithivier a go some other time as well though. Of course, this meant I had to decide on another flavour for the second variety of the two pies.  I came across the recipe for an Apple, Pecan, and Miso Tart in the Bake For All Seasons book, and instantly knew this was the one to pair with the Pumpkin Pie. Let's break it down!  Preparing the two smaller Apple, Pecan and Miso Tarts was my first priority, as there were a few components to make, a couple of which are rather fiddly. Firstly, t

The Bake-a-long continues with Chocolate Week!  I feel as though every time I write about my bake-a-long posts, I start them off by justifying why they look so... questionable sometimes? When I read my own writing back this can sometimes come across as insecurity, so that's something I definitely need to try and move away from. I need to accept that my bakes look the way they do, and that's fine, and if I make mistakes then that's fine too, it's a learning curve! With that in mind, let's get into Chocolate Week! And full disclosure, this is a mammoth of a post you might want to make sure you're sitting comfortably.   "But James!" I hear you cry, "this week was the Botanicals Week episode of Bake Off! You're two weeks behind!". I'm a busy guy alright cut me some slack.   In Chocolate Week, the bakers were tasked with creating a Chocolate Torte without any wheat flour for the Signature, Caramelised White Chocolate and Blackcurrant Chees